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MEET “THE CURMUDGEON”

I genuinely enjoy all the folks I’ve come to meet in this industry.  In the dozens of years I’ve been at the SHOT Show, I’ve met the whole spectrum:  The superstars who have the respect of the entire industry, including their competitors; the quiet geniuses who work behind the scenes to provide some of the greatest innovations; the tough guys who love a fight (even in court – even if they’re bound to lose); the grumps who thoroughly conceal the fact that they love their work; the geeks who wouldn’t dream of working in any other industry, and one of my  [...]

By Ben Langlotz | May 11, 2026 | Business, Patent, Trademark | 0 Comments Read More »

THE APRIL FOOLS’ STUNT I DIDN’T DARE PULL

This one goes back more than a few years, but it’s being resurrected because the issues are timeless, and it’s a little amusing looking back when I was just a bit feistier, at least in print.  Email me if you have a good guess as to what year it first appeared. It was so tempting, but I didn’t dare poke the giant beast, even though I could have gotten away with it, and then illustrated a memorable lesson that’s probably important for most of our readers. It started when I was reading one of the industry’s email news services.  This service starts off with  [...]

By Ben Langlotz | April 24, 2026 | Business, Firearms Industry Advice, Humor, Trademark | 0 Comments Read More »

SPEAK SOFTLY, BUT CARRY A BIG PATENT

How a Patent Shut Down a Competitor  In Only 24 Hours Nothing more forcefully drives home a lesson you’ve been teaching for years than when what you’ve been telling others for years happens to you. I’ve been reminding everyone for years that having a patent can provide real competitive benefits, even if you never have to spend a fortune litigating it. I liken it to carrying a pistol for self-defense, and probably never having to shoot it – you can usually scare off the muggers just by letting them know you have it and are willing to use it if  [...]

By Ben Langlotz | March 16, 2026 | Business, Firearms Industry Advice, Intellectual Property Advice, Patent | 0 Comments Read More »

HOW “CAVEMAN” PATENTS WON “BEST” AWARDS AT SHOT SHOW 2026

Sometimes you need to observe very carefully to notice a pattern.  Other times, it smacks you in the face. We love it when our clients get awards (turns out having successful clients is a pretty good business model, imagine that!)  But sometimes, we’re not surprised. “Best Carbine Award” from Recoil Magazine went to our client Stenzel Industries.  We’ve known about the innovations that make their carbine a winner for some time, having helped with the patent protection.  Congratulations! Long time client Franklin Armory is well known for their Binary®  [...]

By Ben Langlotz | February 19, 2026 | Business, Intellectual Property Advice, Opinion Pieces, Patent | 0 Comments Read More »

WHY YOU PROBABLY DON’T NEED A PATENT SEARCH

And the Key Signs That Indicate When You Do I love to give advice, especially when I know my prediction will never be wrong.  My favorite advice is to predict “a 50-50 chance of success,” because no matter the outcome I’m never wrong. My other favorite advice is recommending a patentability search.  Because no matter the results, my client is happy.  If we get “good” news, and nothing is found that blocks patentability, my client is happy.  If we get “bad” news, my client is grateful they have the disappointing information to help avoid making a bad  [...]

By Ben Langlotz | January 19, 2026 | Business, Firearms Industry Advice, Intellectual Property Advice, Opinion Pieces, Patent | 0 Comments Read More »

WHEN FOREIGN PATENTS MAKE SENSE FOR FIREARMS INVENTIONS

(Short Answer: “Rarely.” Except…) As an inventor myself, I know the enthusiastic feeling that your invention is going to be an incredible success, and wouldn’t it be a tragedy if you had only the US market protected and the rest of the world was knocking off your invention willy-nilly without paying you a penny.  Unthinkable, right? But good business decisions are about costs and benefits, and in most cases there’s a big difference between the US patent decision and the International “upgrade” decision.  Compared to the still-significant investment to  [...]

By Ben Langlotz | December 17, 2025 | Business, Firearms Industry Advice, Intellectual Property Advice, Patent | 0 Comments Read More »